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Patrick Segawa

Patrick Segawa - 2019 Winner
Position: Founder & Team Leader
Organization: Public Health Ambassadors Uganda (PHAU)
Current Location: Uganda, Africa
Master of Science in Public Health - Population and Reproductive Health from Uganda Martyrs University
Additional Degrees and Certifications:
Bachelor of Science in Public Health
Clarke International University
Awards Received:
  • Award:
    People’s Choice Award
    Awarding Organization:
    Knowledge for Health with their media partners – Girls Globe
    Date Awarded:
    May 28, 2017
  • Award:
    Outstanding Work - Impact to the Community
    Awarding Organization:
    Clarke International University
    Date Awarded:
    March 7, 2018
  • Award:
    Health promotion and Educative Arts Award
    Awarding Organization:
    Clarke International University
    Date Awarded:
    February 14, 2014
75 Public Votes Reached!
Through dance, performance & bold programming, Patrick's tireless leadership of PHAU balances youthful joy & creativity with the wisdom, empathy & foresight yielded by years of hard work in the field. He's a leader & inspiration in Uganda & globally. – Elizabeth Futrell, Director, Transmedia Story Lab at Ci3 | University of Chicago
Describe your contributions to and achievements in family planning.

In 2014, with my other three colleagues, I founded Public Health Ambassadors Uganda (PHAU); a youth led and serving organisation that address issues of SRHR and HIV Awareness through youth empowerment programmes, health education,social entrepreneurship and use of ICT for health. With my leadership as the Team Leader, PHAU has grown from an outreach entity to a full fledged organisation that has reached out to 64231 young people with SRHR information and only 18,944 have directly received services in 15 districts across the country. I have mentored over 150 youth in the use of creative and performance arts such as plays, poetry, street/community theater and flash mobs, as a means of educating young people about HIV/AIDS, STIs and teenage pregnancy in Uganda.

What sparked your passion for family planning?

As i was growing up in one of the slums in Kampala, i witnessed many girls drop out of school because lack of information of safer sexual practices. One of the girls was just within our neighborhood and she had been expelled from school because of an early pregnancy and her family forced her to go and stay with the boyfriend. These young couple was stigmatized and discriminated in the community. Therefore, I committed to creating awareness about FP so that young people make informed decisions.

Give one or two examples of how you display leadership in your family planning work.:

I have embraced the use of creative and performance arts approach through use of theater, spoken word poetry, creative dance, music concerts and flash mobs to advance SRHR information and services among young people in Uganda. Use of creative and performance arts puts young people at the center of implementation and often the SRHR information takes to stick in their minds because it fun, engaging and participatory. This approach provides a safe safe for young people to openly have discussions.

If you are named a winner of 120 under 40, how will you use this new platform and the $1000 grant to advance your work? :

Winning the 120 under 40 would be of great impact in supporting and scaling up of the Public Health Ambassadors Programme (PHAP); where young people are able to spend between three to six months exploring public health needs and issues that you feel passionate about within your communities. PHAP is purposed to turn young people into advocates, activists, champions and change agents by empowering them with information and skills on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, HIV/AIDS.

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